Mt. Huangshan has long been closely connected with religion. As early as in the Tang Dynasty, stories about Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), and the alchemists Rongchengzi and Fuqiugong making pills of immortality on Mt. Huangshan were recorded. Many peaks are named after them, such as Xanyuan Peak, Fuqiu Peak and Pill-making Peak. Even the name Huangshan is related to the story of the Yellow Emperor's making of pills of immortality. Taoist temples built on Huangshan in the early days are Fuqiu Temple, Nine-Dragon Temple and so on. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty Buddhism has taken the place of Taoism in Huangshan culture. Buddhist monasteries have been built in large numbers, among which, Xiangfu, Ciguang, Cuiwei and Zhibo are called the Four Big Monasteries of Huangshan.
Generation after generation, people have come to eulogize Mt. Huangshan, resulting in a rich legacy of art and literature. Some artists have even formed the Huangshan school. Besides, there are numerous and widespread fairy tales and legends about the Mountain.
Mt. Huangshan has a complex geological history. The formation of the peaks dates back to the Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era as a result of crustal movements and subsequent uplift. During the late Mesozoic Era and the early Cenozoic Era, a large amount of granite magma erupted through fissures due to further crustal movements, which became the main body of the Mountain after cooling down.
The wonderful scenery of Mt. Huangshan has attracted many visitors. Among them were said to be immortals, like the Yellow Emperor, the Dragon King and even the Eight Immortals. The story goes that once on the day of the annual gathering of the Eight Immortals, seven of them arrived on time, while Han Xiangzi was late. Zhang Guolao guessed that Han must have been fascinated by the scenery of Mt. Huangshan on his way. Then Zhang Guolao flew into the sky to look for Han Xiangzi. Just as Zhang expected, Han was sightseeing on Mt. Huangshan. He was enjoying himself so much that he forgot the gathering. Zhang tried every possible way to persuade Han to leave. Han, however, was reluctant to go, and turned a stone into a replica of himself, in case he forgot the way to Huangshan the next time. The stone therefore was named Immortal Showing the Way. Zhang, for fear that Han would slip away again, rode backwards on his donkey to keep Han in sight and also to keep seeing the Mountain.
